Hello Comrade Gardeners, I wanted to make a thread where anyone could ask some quick questions regarding their gardening! Could be a simple troubleshoot question, or a quick query regarding composting, whatever it is as long as it's gardening!

  • HamidPayaamAbbasi [any,he/him]
    ·
    4 years ago

    I just moved out of a dense city the middle of nowhere and I have a large barren area in my back yard. It is all messed up with broken glass, stones and not much grows around here wild. I'm on the side of a mountain in a dry climate.

    Considering it is march I think I should get started but I have never tried before. Not sure where to even start. Didn't the Andean people grow potatoes on the sides of dry mountains? My favorite food is potato, does anyone have guides to growing potatoes in containers?

    • quartz242 [she/her]
      ·
      4 years ago

      Do you have any materials on/around the property that could be recycled as a container but not leech into the soil? I used recycled wood to build a smallish raised bed that I did fingerling potatoes in.

      I've been really curious to try this method:

      Cultivating container potatoes in compost bin soil is another commonly used garden technique. A small amount of compost is placed in the bottom of the container, then the seed potatoes are planted. As the potatoes grow, more compost is periodically layered with straw in the container. Slowly adding compost prevents those large bursts of nutrients which can cause green growth spikes and reduce tuber production.

      I would probably but a bit of gardening soil with the seed potatoes then layer the compost, this article has a nice concise article on potatoes in containers.

      • HamidPayaamAbbasi [any,he/him]
        ·
        4 years ago

        Cool, this is pretty close to what I've been reading I'll give it a shot. There is not much on hand but I have access and means to get materials that make sense, but, do not really want to spend more than I would reap and I am not committed to this place for more than a year. I bet I can get those containers pretty easily though or burlap.